China Leads in Project Spending for Carbon and Graphite for Remaining 2017

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Globally, Industrial Info is tracking 34 projects for carbon and graphite project starts and finishes, worth $2.9 billion, for the remaining months of 2017. China claims the lion's share, with $1.6 billion in spending on 29 projects, followed by the U.S. with $1.2 billion spending on two projects.

Kicking off this October is China's most expensive carbon and graphite project for the remainder of this year: plans from the the CHALCO Guizhou Branch, a subsidiary of Aluminum Corporation of China, for the $223 million Qingzhen aluminum smelter pre-baked anode carbon plant addition in Weicheng Town, Qingzhen City, which will produce 250,000 tons per year (T/yr) of pre-baked anode carbon material for use in the aluminum smelter. Completion is anticipated by mid-March 2019. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

China will wrap up other projects related to pre-baked anode carbon in the fourth quarter in the Xinjiang region. Since the project's initiation in April, Xinjiang Alaer Nanjiang Carbon New Material Company Limited is finalizing the $163 million mechanical completion for a pre-baked anode carbon plant in A-la-erh, Xinjiang by this December to produce 300,000 T/yr of pre-baked anode carbon material.

In addition, the Xinjiang Qiya Aluminum and Power Company Limited is performing a $149 million structural erection for a pre-baked anode carbon plant addition in Changji, Xinjiang, which started in late 2016. As a part of the aluminum smelter's Phase II expansion, the company will construct buildings and install equipment to produce 400,000 T/yr of pre-baked anode carbon material. The project is expected to be completed in mid-October. For more information, see the project reports on the A-la-erh mechanical completion and the Changji addition.

Despite being behind China in overall spending by about $200 million for the remainder of 2017, the U.S. boasts the two most expensive carbon and graphite projects: By the end of this month, Toray Industries Incorporated, a subsidiary of Toray Carbon Fibers America Incorporated (Decatur, Alabama), is set to finish the $600 million Phase I of its carbon fiber manufacturing plant in Moore, South Carolina, which kicked off in 2016. As part of a $1 billion, two-phase project on a 400-acre site, Tory is building its 811,000-square-foot facility to produce 1,800 to 2,000 metric T/d polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fiber and prepreg products. Phase I involves a polyacrylonitrile manufacturing process, polyacrylonitrile manufacturing recovery process, carbon fiber-manufacturing process, prepreg manufacturing process, wastewater treatment process and 14 natural gas-fired boilers.

Meanwhile, also in South Carolina, Teijin Limited (Tokyo, Japan) is performing site selection for the $600 million carbon fibers manufacturing plant in Greenwood. Tejin plans to construct its carbon fiber manufacturing facility on 400 acres to produce 3,000 T/yr of carbon fibers (expandable to 20,000 T/yr). Completion is anticipated by mid-March 2019. For more information, see the reports on the Toray addition and Teijin construction projects.

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